1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to methods and apparatus for mounting an electrical circuit board to another structure, and more particularly to a standoff adapted for such purposes.
2. Description of Related Art
In the electronics industry, fasteners are used to mount electrical circuit boards to other structures such as a chassis, a support member, or another circuit board. Among such fasteners are a class of fasteners typically referred to as a “standoff,” which secures a circuit board to a chassis member with an intervening gap to prevent shorting of the circuit components to the chassis, allow for the backside mounting of components, provide space for cooling airflow, etc.
A typical standoff 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Standoff 10 comprises a spacer post 13 having a tapped hole 11 passing longitudinally through the post. At one end of post 13, a compression section 12, of smaller diameter than post 13, extends from post 13. During assembly, compression section 12 is compression-fit into a hole 14 in a chassis member 16. The opposite end of standoff 10 is secured to a circuit board 18 by a screw 17, inserted through a hole in circuit board 18 and threaded into the tapped hole 11 inside spacer post 13.